We tend to know when a wine is great from the first sniff and taste, because it possesses that ineffable yet very real quality called charisma. Renewed sniffing and tasting confirm that assessment, while adding depth and character. These factors hold true whether a wine costs $19 or $350, the range represented in today’s 2015 edition of the annual “50 Great Wines” post. I wouldn’t pay $350 for a bottle of wine — though apparently some people would — but I appreciate the occasional opportunity to encounter one. Of the wines on today’s roster, 18 rate Exceptional and 32 rate Excellent. Often the dividing line between Excellent and Exceptional is fine indeed, with permutations and intimations running silent and deep in each direction, but since my inclination is toward distinctions, rankings and hierarchies — that’s what graduate school will do for you — I always include a rating for each wine reviewed on BTYH. On the other hand, I refuse to employ the famous 100-point system; I would rather leave room for some ambiguity and imagination.

A great wine satisfies every point of interest and essence that we desire from a wine, exuding a feeling of utter completion and comprehension. Each wine accomplishes this purpose in a different way, of course, and to varying degrees, necessitating different responses. Some of these wines I admire, gravely and humbly; others, I adore rather shamelessly. The ultimate test, I think, is that when we drink a bottle of great wine, our conclusion is thus: “I wouldn’t want it to be anything other than this,” a sentiment we might also share with works of art and love affairs.

Today’s roster is presented alphabetically. Where a wine is a blend of grapes, I include the percentages that compose the blend. I also mention the case production for wines released in limited quantities, of which many on this list, not surprisingly, are. I do not include alcohol levels or names of importers or technical, geographical or historical date That sort of information is available in the reviews. These wines were selected from examples that I wrote about during 2015. The preponderance were samples for review, for which I thank the wineries, importers and marketing people who sent them.

The Abella family has been growing grapes in Spain’s Priorat region since the 15th Century, which means, yes, since before Columbus sailed off to find India and instead stumbled upon the New World, “new,” that is, to some people but not to those who already lived there. The family didn’t actually go into the business of founding a formal estate and making wine until early in the 20th Century, which still puts them pretty early in the game. The vineyards are steeply sloped and lie at altitudes of 1,500 to 2,300 feet above sea level. The Marco Abella Loidana 2010, Priorat, blends 60 percent garnacha (grenache) grapes, 25 percent carignan and 15 percent cabernet sauvignon to make a wine that displays a vibrant deep ruby color and vivid aromas of cedar and dried thyme, red and black currants, cherries and plums and notes of cloves, lavender and bitter chocolate. The red and black fruit flavors are framed by chewy tannins brushed with dust and graphite and incisive acidity that lends liveliness and a thirst-quenching quality; dense and full-bodied, the wine offers a full complement of loamy and lithic elements, finishing with broad dimensions of peppery, spicy flavors, iron and iodine. 14.5 percent alcohol. A wine of real character, almost nobility, yet one that’s approachable and enjoyable, especially, I would say, with grilled leg of lamb adorned with garlic and rosemary or a medium rare rib-eye steak crusted with black and green peppercorns. Drink now through 2020 or so. Excellent. About $30.